The subject of the present invention is a hinged lock key.
Hinged lock keys, or keys with a bow that folds with respect to the shank, are known. These keys are used in particular when, in the use position, the bow of the key projects from the lock so as to constitute a hazard or such that someone moving or passing close to it may knock into it; a typical example would be keys for locks in desk drawers. If it is knocked, the bow folds back so as to avoid an accident. The bow may also be held in the folded position when the key is inserted in the lock but is not being used, so as to avoid people knocking into it in the first place.
The bow of these keys usually comprises a flat shaped element, made of fairly rigid plastic, which has a C-shaped cavity housing a small block, made of the same plastic, from which the metal shank extends; a pin which is inserted forcibly into the wings of the C-shaped cavity and into the block allows the bow to rotate with respect to the shank and also has the function of securing the shank in the block; projections are formed in the cavity and matching recesses are formed in the block so as to produce a snap-fastening connection that keeps the working position of the bow stable and allows the bow to rotate, in other words to bend, with respect to the shank, simply by overcoming a given force.
This known structure for a hinged key is expensive to produce because it consists of four pieces. Also, during the production process, it is firstly necessary to mould the flat shaped element and the block; then the shank has to be inserted into the block, and then the block/shank assembly into the cavity in the flat element; lastly, the pin needs to be inserted very accurately into appropriate aligned holes made in the flat element and in the block.